In the Way You Shall Go

by Bob Blouin

What shall we say when one says to us, “The Bible is far outdated. Get with the times, nobody believes those things anymore. Isn’t that old rag antiquated?” Such questions or assumptions may seem more like accusations, declaring the Bible believer one who is lost in the past and aloof from the modern world. Is it thus that we should no longer consider the past and that we should focus only on modernism?

Indeed, we must “get with the times” and adopt contemporary writing styles, understand modern methods of the sciences, and compare the circumstances of the New Testament brethren and today’s Christian. Should we fail to remember the past with its failures and flaws, our future will contain those same miseries. And if we forget the past we will neither remember from where we came nor how we should go forward.

In Psalm 32:8, the psalmist pens God’s guidance: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go: I will counsel guide you with My eye upon you.” In this passage we should notice that our Creator loves us so that He would not leave us without attention and direction.

Again, in Matthew 19:21, Our Savior Jesus Christ told the rich, young ruler: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Jesus offered to all in the First Century a way to go towards perfection. “Follow Me” indicates someone leading and someone following on a path, in this case to righteousness. Here in this verse, He tells them He will lead the way, that they need but to follow. When we follow someone in the way that we should go, we will mimic their movements, imitate their examples, and train ourselves in their teachings (2 Thessalonians 2:15). To do otherwise would only lead us down a contrary path and leave us wandering on a wicked way.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We can and we must live in the modern world. We must not, however, forget the path that is already set before us. His way is true, straight, and narrow. In Matthew 7:14 He tells us, “For narrow is the gate and difficult the way, that leads to life, and there are few that find it.” Let each of us follow in the way that we shall go unto eternal life in heaven.